Katherine - posted on 12/19/2010 ( 8 moms have responded )
Some studies think so. http://www.whale.to/a/morley5.html
There can be serious risks with the currently popular practice of clamping the chord to early while it is still pulsating and many benefits of letting the chord naturally pulsate until it finishes pumping .
Whenever a pulsating umbilical cord is clamped, 20-60% of the baby's total blood volume is trapped inside the placenta. A 9 pound baby manufactures only 10 ounces of blood during gestation. It will take over 6 months for the baby to replenish the volume of blood lost by early cord clamping.
In essence, newborns become involuntary blood donors. HALF their blood volume is lost when their cords are early clamped.
This decrease in necessary blood volume causes the babies to become anemic. In most cases, the anemia is not diagnosed and the infant is sent home in a weakened state, more susceptible to a host of complications, including SIDS.
Restricted umbilical cord problems associated with anemia are Autism, heart perforations, thyroid disorders, brain tumors, leukemia, hormonal imbalances and liver/kidney disease.
Male infants will suffer more than females. They have higher metabolisms that require 10% more blood. This trend is also seen in that males represent a greater proportion of children receiving special education services in schools and higher incidences of disabilities such as ADD, behavioral issues, and Autism.
Currently, 1 in 16 babies are revived after birth. For how many is this due to low blood volume, an inflicted condition? In effect, medical personnel must undo the wrong they're created. Another critical correlation is the fact that the United States ranks 29th for infant mortality in the world and practices early cord clamping as a routine procedure.
Any baby whose cord has been early clamped is weakened. Weaker babies become more susceptible to infection, especially at the site of the cut cord. There are 25 known infectious strains resistant to all antibiotics and they are primarily found in hospitals. This mix is just asking for trouble.
Another of the restricted umbilical cord problems is engorged placenta, a direct threat to the mother and future pregnancies. When the blood flow is restricted by clamping, the blood can pool in the placenta, causing it to rupture or backflow the baby's blood into the mother's. This cause lead to serious side effects, such as maternal hemorrhage and can even prohibit future pregnancies due to the blood mixing.
The main benefits being:
increased oxygen supply
Increased levels of iron
Lower risk of anaemia
Less transfusions and
Less incidence of intraventricular haemorrhage
A two-minute delay in cord clamping increased the child’s iron reserve by 27-47 mg of iron, which is equivalent to 1-2 months of an infants iron requirements. This could help to prevent iron deficiency from developing before 6 months of age.
delayed clamping is beneficial for babies across the board, the studies found that the impact of delayed clamping is particularly significant for infants who have low birth weights, are born to iron-deficient mothers, are premature, or those who do not receive baby formula or iron-fortified milk.